


Mackerel, Love and Bus

by ReinesYatogami647



Category: Free!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Nanase Haruka and Mackerel, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23999608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinesYatogami647/pseuds/ReinesYatogami647
Summary: The one who yearned to be with his friend's sister is hindered by many.
Relationships: Matsuoka Gou/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Mackerel, Love and Bus

**Author's Note:**

> Overview:  
> Type: Romance and Brotherhood, I guess.  
> Anime: Free!  
> Shipping (for romance): Haruka Nanase x Gou (Kou) Matsuoka  
> Music: Fairy Tale - Sangatsu no Phantasia (Demi-chan wa Kataritai Ending Song)
> 
> Note: Yeah. I know that Free! was supposed to be a boy-centric anime but I couldn't help but notice that Gou-san ( It's Kou!! ) ehem...that Kou-san has a reverse harem inside that anime! Being surrounded by muscled boys would make her a center of attention ya know. And...I love the ship of Kou and Haru so much!! Kawaii desu!

_He swam for only one reason..._

_For him to feel the water._

_As he said, do not resist the water, accept its presence._

_But...is the water trying to make him realize something?_

_Each of his team and even his friends from Samezuka Gakuen played a big part on his life. Each and everyone of them had their individual roles not only in his swimming but also his entire life._

_Makoto Tachibana was his friend since childhood. He was the one who always came to wake him up when he decides to have a long date with his bath in the bathroom._

_Nagisa Hazuki was like a little brother he never had. His determination in creating their swim club in the first place was what brought them to the nationals in his last year of high school._

_Rei Ryugazaki was like a worthy kouhai who always looked up to him. He had tried to teach him to swim freestyle but it didn't work. He found his own style and eventually practicing to be like them under the tutelage of his other friend from Samezuka._

_Rin Matsuoka was the one who was angered at him after returning from Australia. But nevertheless, he was one of those who made him find what he wanted to do in the future when he himself had hit a wall and fought with the rest of his team from Iwatobi. A best friend he could hope to ask for._

_Aicihiro Nitori was another story all over. Often trying his best in every way to be like Rin, he trained his hardest and went up against even Nagisa who was a breaststroke monster in the pool._

_Sousuke Yamazaki refused to acknowledge him ever since their relay with Rin (who was from Samezuka) and the Iwatobi Swim Team. But...during their cultural festival, he had gone and became closer to him as well. He just wished that he would not act so l-l-l-lovey dovey_ _**with their club manager** _ _........_

_Momotarou Mikoshiba may have an annoying fascination with stag beetles but he was very forward with his feelings...though he hoped it was not so for he is very annoyed when this "fairy tale-named boy" started to f-f-flirt_ **_with his club manager_ ** _......._

**Eh? Why am I...even bothered by them flirting with Kou, anyway? It's not like...I like her or anything...do I?**

As he floats in the ocean, he stares at the stars. It was the Iwatobi Swim Club reunion in the place of their Training Camp before. Kou, now an accomplished college student, decided to hold this gathering since everyone misses each other anyway. Rin, Kou Matsuoka's brother, was supposed to come the next day because he was busy in Australia that past week and his only available week was this coming which was tomorrow....

 _Kou Matsuoka. The final member of the club before Rei came along._ _She was also the final member to make up the Swim Club to connect with her brother, Rin. The way she handled being our team manager was amazing. She kept up with updating our training regimen and made us prepared for every competition we were in.... And...I feel this strange feeling for her..._

**Ah...that's right.... On our way from our relay back in elementary school, Kou rode with us...I vaguely remember her sitting beside me and falling asleep while Nagisa and Makoto were behind me and Rin was pouting at the seat in front of us.... I wonder why Kou didn't mention it before...**

"Haru!" Haruka Nanase finally snapped back to reality when he heard Makoto calling him "Huh?" "Mou, Haru, Gou-chan's been calling for you!" Nagisa interjected. Haru found Kou sitting at the shore holding a plate. While he was swimming in the ocean, afloat, with Nagisa and Makoto. Haru then swam towards their manager and lifted himself level with her eyes.

"...what is it, Kou?"

"A-Ah...Haruka-senpai...I, uhm..." Kou tried to hide her blush but Haru noticed it, though made no mention of it "I just thought you wanted some mackerel. I made some..." Kou says and Haru inwardly smiles "Okay..." he opens his mouth and Kou blushes harder and gets a piece of mackerel from her plate then feeds it to the water/mackerel addicted senpai of hers.

"S-So?"

"Mmm...."

"Haruka-senpai?"

"Not bad..."

"Yes!!!"

"But..."

"Huh?"

"There's something missing..."

"Eh? What?"

"....." without another word, Haruka stepped out of the ocean and went into the direction of the hotel "O-Oi! Haruka-senpai!!" Kou sighs, wanting to know what was it that was missing in her cooking.

"Mah, he can be silent at times when thinking about something. Especially now, it's been long since we got together." Makoto says and Kou smiles but nods anyway. Nagisa picks up a piece of mackerel from Kou and eats it "H-Hey! Nagisa!" "What's with Haru-chan? These are good!! Can you put protein powder and gave me all of it, Gou-chan?" Nagisa says and Kou pushes his head back "N.O. These are FOR HARUKA-SENPAI!" Kou insisted and Nagisa puffed his cheeks "Unfair..."

"There's some more here, Nagisa-kun!" Rei says and Nagisa's eyes sparkled then runs towards him.

****

As Haru rinses himself off in their room's shower, he closes his eyes...but every time he did, all he could see was Kou blushing face....

_'Should I consider this as...love?'_

He walked out of the shower and found Makoto sleeping in his bed. Haru puts the towel on his head and sits down on his own bed. His blue eyes stare onto his feet as he tried to muster up the courage to stand and do... **what he needs to do**...

Glancing at the clock, he found the night to go by quickly. Or maybe it's just because he spent too much time in the shower again tonight...maybe Makoto didn't want to disturb him and went to shower in Rei's room. He stared hard at the time...

**_10:00 pm_ **

He stood up and threw the towel off of him then walked out of the room and to the illuminated hallway. They all rented rooms for two; he was with Makoto, Rei was with Nagisa, and Kou by herself since Rin is going to be sleeping there tomorrow when he arrives. They rented the place for an entire week anyways. Momotarou and Nitori and also Sousuke will probably come together with Rin the next day...but the thing is, Haruka won't let the night pass by with him not even advancing with his plan.

Stopping at Kou's room, he held in his breath then let it out slowly. Then, he knocked.

"Kou? You still awake? If you are, I wanna talk to you..."

There was a short silence before the girl spoke up "Yes, I'm awake, Haruka-senpai. I'll be out in a minute..."

After about almost a minute, Kou steps out dressed in her maroon jammies that matched the color of her hair. "What is it you wanna talk about, Senpai?" she asks and Haru gulps and grabs her hand and leads her to the hotel rooftop.

"I...wanted to tell you something...about that mackerel cooking of yours..." idiotic Haru got scared and said something he didn't actually mean "Eh? That's it? Then...why should we go to the rooftop? You couldn't tell me outside my hotel room? Or even tomorrow?" Kou says and Haru inwardly slaps himself for being such a coward.

_'No! I won't let this plague me any longer...'_

Arriving at the rooftop, Kou put her back on the railing while Haru pinned her in place. Realizing their position, Kou blushes but Haru maintains the cool (no pun intended) in his demeanor. "Haru-senpai?"

"I...I didn't think that I'd feel this way in my entire life. I just...realized it now...when I remembered the time when you rode with us and slept beside me...that...I really need to be honest. H-Honestly..." he pauses and tries to find his voice again "...the mackerel you made was delicious...but...it needed something to be truly called as cooking, Kou..." "What?"

"It needs this," he inches closer to her face and Kou puts up a hand upon instinct but Haru catches it with his hand and pins it under his hand "Haru..." she mistakenly called him with his usual nickname which made Haru smile "There...try not to be formal..." and after he said that, he full-on kissed her.

At first, the male-named woman was surprised but her eyes softened and she started to respond. Haru smiles through the kiss and goes deeper. If not of his self-control, he would've loved to take advantage of her but...he didn't want Kou to go and hate him...so, he held himself back.

Kou pulled away and so did he. Both tried to catch their breath. Haruka smiles and rests his head on her left shoulder. He kissed her shoulder through her clothes which made Kou release a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Haru lifts his head and places his mouth to her ear "Your mackerel lacks...love. And I would be happy to give all the love you need for you...if you would allow me..." he whispers and Kou's eyes teared up and Haru felt the tears which made him pull away and use his hands to wipe all tears falling from his love's eyes.

"Baka...Haruka-senpai no baka...I..."

"Don't cry, Kou..." he says "Or I might have to lick all those tears away..." he smiles a playful one and Kou blushes "Sh-Shut up, pervert, hentai, ecchi!!!" she says and Haru laughs and hugs her while sighing. Their hug went on for almost a minute when Kou spoke up

"When we were in elementary school...I insisted on sitting beside you, Haru, even if Rin-onii-chan wanted to sit beside me...because I wanted to at least get to know someone who made my heart beat so fast at such age before we separate...and in the end, we met again..." she says and Haru smiles and hugs her tighter

"It must be fate then."

"Must be. Or is it...mackerel that brought us together?" Kou attempted to make a joke and Haru smiles "Can I kiss you again?"

"D-Don't ask me something embarrassing beyond compare!!"

"Then, is it okay for me to kiss you anytime?"

"OF COURSE THAT'S NOT OKAY EITHER YOU PER-?!" Kou was, of course, cut by her lover who kissed her again

"I-I TOLD YOU THAT WAS NOT OK-?!"

"H-HEY!! SENPAI ST-?!"

And you can guess every time she was cut, Haruka kisses her "Stop!!" she says but a smile definite on her face which made her lover's face soften "I'll keep doing that until you accept our relationship as official." he says and Kou blushes "Of course I accept it! Why do you think I sat next to you that day in the bus?!" Kou says and Haru smiles

"I love you, Matsuoka Kou."

"I love you too, Nanase Haruka."

And with that, the two then shared another kiss.

***

"You hear that?!"

"Should you expect a nephew soon, Rin-chan?!"

"If they don't give me a great nephew to teach I'm killing Haruka."

"Gou...Gou-san!!!!! Why didn't you wait for me?!?!?!?!?!?!"

"Shut up!!!!!" and thus, Makoto, Rei, Rin, Nitori, Nagisa and Sousuke beat the crap out of Momotarou.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Kou-channnnnnnnn why weren't your relations with Haru the main focus of Free! anyway?!?!?!?!?!
> 
> I kept this one short because the rest of the drafts in this book is long. Imma getting lazy sometimes....
> 
> But anyways, remember;
> 
> TRUE LOVE STORIES NEVER HAVE ENDINGS!
> 
> Originally posted in wattpad; IzumiAsada647


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